Student Media

Grant to help prevent suicides

St.
Cloud State University has been awarded a $305,000 federal grant to help raise
awareness of at-risk students and reduce suicides.

The
three-year grant is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, said John Eggers, director of
Counseling and Psychological Services at St. Cloud State University.

“The
grant is to help us pursue a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention with
a focus on groups that are potentially the most vulnerable,” Eggers said,
mentioning veterans, students with disabilities, ethnic and racial minorities
and LGBT students to name a few.

“There
will be several different activities that we will be participating in,” Eggers
said as far as training students, faculty and staff to identify students at
risk and helping them know how to talk to students and make referrals if
needed.

“I
like to describe it as increasing the University’s capacity to care about one
another.”

Grant money will also be used
toward marketing, messaging and reducing the stigma of depression, and mental
health struggles, Eggers said.

The
grant will allow the university to hire a coordinator, said Rob Reff, assistant
dean of students for
Chemical Health and Outreach Programming. Training materials will allow for the
education of faculty and staff to become trainers themselves, thus allowing for
a wider awareness.

There
also will be a component that will allow for students to access materials
online, Reff said.

“This grant will help us enhance our services to those who
might be vulnerable to suicide including those with mental and behavioral
health problems . We will focus on students struggling
with high-risk substance use as well as those with depression and other mental
health struggles which leave them at a higher risk for suicide.”